Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus has a couple of pending legal matters at the moment and he took steps to deal with one of them on Tuesday.

Mike Rodak of ESPN.com reports that Dareus has applied for a pre-trial intervention program as a way to take care of the felony charges he faces for drug possession in Alabama. Dareus was arrested after being stopped for speeding in May on charges of possession of a controlled substance, believed to be synthetic marijuana although results of toxicology tests are still pending, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Dareus’ attorney told Rodak that it could take six months before a decision is made about granting Dareus a place in the program. Participation in and completion of such programs typically result in charges being dismissed, although Dareus won’t be out of the woods on the misdemeanor charges he faces as a result of his arrest last month for allegedly taking part in a street race.

Dareus could also face league discipline as a result of his legal troubles this offseason.

Obviously Marcell has made some bad mistakes the last couple of weeks. I’m certainly not making excuses for him, but it should considered that his brother was killed last year and he may be dealing with some personal problems because of this. Bills fans are frustrated, but he may need just a little slack to deal with this. And as far as comparing Darius to Hernandez – all I can say to that is that is just plain stupidity. He got caught with a little weed, not a handgun.

Any person can file for pre trial intervention as a first time offender. It’s not like he is getting special treatment or anything. Also, his drag racing tickets in Buffalo won’t amount to much. I would be surprised if he gets suspended by the league..

By “these guys” do you mean young, first time offenders charged for a non-violent crime? Show of hands – how many got into some trouble in or right after college involving stupid, immature activity? For those who did, how many made national news or loss your job? Give the guy a break and find something important to complain about!